'Thappad' movie review: You can’t slap me. Period

Thappad
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kumud Mishra, Maya Sarao, Tanvi Azmi, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, Manav Kaul
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Language: Hindi (U/A)
Rating: 3.5/5

Taapsee Pannu’s grounds for seeking divorce may seem feeble to the world, including her mother, but “sirf ek thappad” is reason enough for her to walk out of a marriage which, otherwise, is brimming with love, security and all other advantages that a wedding ring can bring. And she holds her own with amazing clarity and conviction.

That’s where Thappad resonates.

It dissects generations of patriarchy imposed on women in the name of marriage and “adjustments”. Anubhav Sinha calls out every single misogyny in Indian households, however thinly disguised it is. From the maid to her madam, from the single mother to the successful career woman, from the mother to the mother-in-law, marriage has for centuries come in the way of a woman’s dreams, while showering every possible privilege on her man.

And it’s heartwarming to see a conventionally content married woman say no to a visibly loving, caring husband, because he has no right to raise his hands against her.

Thappad talks of women of all strata and age: There is a mother who is happy because her husband is happy, a mother-in-law who regrets her loveless marriage, a girl who is ready to ditch her boyfriend just because he doesn’t stand up for his sister, a lawyer who loathes to live in the shadow of her man, and finally a maid who has been conditioned to think it’s oh-so-normal to be beaten up by her husband.

Taapsee holds the film which hits several highs with equally great performances from the rest of the cast.

S*** happens, reasons the hubby. Sorry, I won’t even take a slap, clarifies the wife. And that’s one good strike against patriarchy.